WATCH: Nick Saban speaks after Alabama's Wednesday practice

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On Wednesday evening, Alabama coach Nick Saban once again spoke to the media following another one of the team’s fall camp practices. This session was No. 17 for the Crimson Tide, which means there are only 10 practices left before the season opener against Utah State on Sept. 3.

You can watch Saban’s entire press conference below.

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What Nick Saban said on Wednesday

Opening statement…

“Well, I haven’t really talked to you guys since watching the scrimmage film. So, I do think we made significant improvement in a lot of areas. But still, the question remains: can you complete a simple task on a consistent basis so you can play winning football? And that’s the question that a lot of players have to answer, especially some of the backup players, the less experienced players who are getting plenty of reps now, but they have to take advantage of the opportunity. It comes down to what I said last year. You’ve got to prepare yourself so when you get a chance to play, you can take advantage of that because you are ready to play. Rather than focusing on too many other things. You control what you say, what you think and what you do. And what somebody else does, what somebody else says, what somebody else thinks really doesn’t matter.

“So, it’s important to stay focused and keep the main thing the main thing, especially at this point in time. Because right now, we’ve got to start deciding who are we going to coach, who are we going to bring along, who are we going to play on special teams, how many guys can we travel with, what’s their role going to be. And guys have had a lot of opportunities to find that. Hopefully, we’ll get more and more guys that are ready to play winning football so that we have more depth on the team because we definitely need that to get through the kinda schedule, the kinda difficult challenges we’re gonna have in the future.

“Other than that, nothing else to really report. We continue this week to work on other opponents who do different things, and we’ll do a little bit on the first game tomorrow. But not really starting on that until Friday full metal jacket.”

On how James Burnip is adjusting…

“James has made a lot of improvement. He’s got really good potential. I think the biggest thing that he has to continue to do is consistency. Now, when he takes the right steps and he drops the ball, he’s got a really powerful leg, but he’s just got to do that on a really, really consistent basis. He’s gotten a lot better, so we have a lot more confidence. I think he’s got a lot more confidence. I think he feels a lot better about the situation he’s in and what’s expected of him, and he’s done a good job this fall camp.”

On Alabama’s inside linebacker competition…

“I think that we have three guys now for two positions that you definitely can count on. And then we’ve got about four other guys who really all have the ability to do it, that need to continue to make improvement. Those are the guys on our team that I’m really talking about. You know, what do you have to do to prepare so you can take advantage of an opportunity when you get it, so that we’re not making mental errors and we’re not just gifting to the other team because we’re not sure what we’re doing and we’re not confident in how to do it and can’t go out there and play fast and play team defense.

“So that’s what we’ve got to continue to do. And when you talk about linebackers, if you don’t fit runs right and you leave a gap open, you get gashed. So we definitely need for those guys to continue to improve.”

On Alabama running back Jase McClellan…

“He’s done great. He’s really played well. No limitations. No limitations in scrimmages. No limitations in practice. Explosive. Made some really good runs in the last scrimmage. Made a lot of people miss. Good receiver. Can play with power. So he’s done really well.”

On the mentality of Alabama’s offensive line…

“I’m encouraged by the improvements that we made in the offensive line. We seem to have a little better mentality. I think the personality of their coach has definitely added something to the mentality of how we play and what we’re doing and how we’re doing. And I think the personality of the players is certainly something that has been a real positive in terms of how they approach things and what they’ve tried to do. So I feel more comfortable in the running game that we have. And we’re able to pass protect a little better. I’ve been really pleased with the progress that group has made.”

On Alabama wide receiver Tyler Harrell, channeling things…

“First of all, he had a sprained foot for awhile so he wasn’t able to practice all the time. But now probably the last scrimmage and this week _ Tuesday, Wednesday of this week _ he’s starting to get more reps. I think he’s starting to get more confident. I do think he’s a guy that because of his speed can help us. I think he’s got to continue to make progress, and we’re certainly working with him. And he’s had a great attitude about doing it. And we’ll just sort of keep on keeping on with him.”

On freshman receiver Kobe Prentice…

“I think that he’s showing promise with his quickness playing at the slot. I think his opportunities have increased since JoJo got hurt. He’s taken advantage of it, played fairly well. I still think he’s got a ways to go in terms of knowledge of the offense and doing things exactly like we’d like for him to do it. But he’s got great work ethic. He works hard every day. He’s got a great attitude. He’s really positive and upbeat about what he’s doing. He doesn’t get frustrated easily. I think all those things are contributing to his development.”

On Alabama safety Jordan Battle…

“Jordan is, first of all, a very bright guy. He’s got really good work ethic. He loves the game. He loves to play. He loves to practice. He sets a good example. He’s a good leader. He’s got a really, really good understanding of everything that we’re doing in the secondary. Of course, he’s got lots of experience, but he’s a bright guy. And because he’s very conscientious to go with really good ability – he’s got really good size. He’s improved his ability to cover people, I think, a lot last year and this spring and this fall so far. So I just think he’s really a complete player, and I think he’s helping other players play better with his leadership. Communication is so important in the secondary, and when you have confident guys that aren’t afraid to call out, it helps other people around them play with more confidence, as well. And he’s certainly contributed to that in a very positive way.”

On Alabama’s cornerback competition…

“There’s a lot of competition. I can’t tell you who the starters are. I think we’ve got four guys, maybe five, that are all competing for positions, and they’re all making progress. A couple guys were hurt. Khyree missed a few days. Eli missed a whole week. But they’re all battling and they’re all (competing), and hopefully, the competition is making them better. But other than that, I really can’t say much about any of them. They’re all working hard, and there’s a lot of competition at the position. We’ll see how it shakes out.”

On freshman Emmanuel Henderson at wide receiver…

“He’s making progress. Because of his speed, I think he can be a really good special teams player for us, as well. He’s got great work ethic, really good person, very conscientious, and I think that’s helped his development. I think that he can help us at that position, and I think he will before the season’s out. And we’ll just keep working on helping him develop. But I’m encouraged by his athleticism, his ability, his attitude, his work ethic and how he’s gone about developing as a player.”

On the new book about him, and if he ever plans to write one himself…

“I wrote one once. I don’t plan to read the new book that’s out. I don’t really know what’s in it, and I don’t know what is right, what is wrong. What is good, what is bad. I used to get really upset when people did things like this, but I’ve kind of learned it kind of is the way of the world now. We don’t endorse the book in any way. I don’t plan to sign any of those books because I haven’t read it, I don’t know what’s in it and I don’t know what’s correct and what’s incorrect. But it is what it is. One of these days, maybe when I don’t have anything else to do – which is not anytime soon, I hope – I might consider it.” 

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Alabama will return to Thomas-Drew Practice Fields on Thursday for practice No. 18 of fall camp. That session is once again set to get underway at 3:40 p.m. CT. Stay tuned for more coverage from the entire team at BamaInsider.